Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yellow Yobillings’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yellow Yobillings’, characterized by its uniform and upright plant habit; strong and vigorous growth habit; dark green foliage; uniform flowering response; early and freely flowering habit; large daisy-type inflorescences; bright yellow-colored ray and disc florets; and good postproduction longevity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yellow Yobillings’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars thatare suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit,good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fastresponse time, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of aproprietary induced mutation that originated by exposing unrootedcuttings of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yobillings, disclosed in U.S.Plant Pat. No. 11,867, to X-ray radiation in October, 1997, in FortMyers, Fla. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by theInventor as a single flowering plant within a population of plants ofthe irradiated selection in April, 1998 in Fort Myers, Fla. Theselection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit,good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fastresponse time, and good postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in July, 1998. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yellow Yobillings has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yellow Yobillings’. Thesecharacteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yellow Yobillings’ as a newand distinct Chrysanthemum:

1. Uniform and upright plant habit.

2. Strong and vigorous growth habit.

3. Dark green foliage.

4. Uniform flowering response.

5. Can be grown as a disbud or as a spray-type.

6. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

7. Freely flowering.

8. Large daisy-type inflorescences that are about 11.3 cm in diameter.

9. Bright yellow-colored ray and disc florets.

10. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substanceand color for at least three weeks in an interior environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Yobillings. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by theInventor in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ fromplants of the cultivar Yobillings in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are slightly less vigorous andshorter than plants of the cultivar Yobillings.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have slightly smaller inflorescencesthan plants of the cultivar Yobillings.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have yellow-colored ray floretswhereas plants of the cultivar Yobillings have white-colored rayflorets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of theChrysanthemum cultivar Yellow Blush, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No.9,455. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Salinas,Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of thecultivar Yellow Blush in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are slightly more vigorous andstronger than plants of the cultivar Yellow Blush.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more upright than plants of thecultivar Yellow Blush.

3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are upright andslightly arching whereas ray florets of plants of the cultivar YellowBlush are reflexed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of atypical flowering plant of ‘Yellow Yobillings’ grown a disbud-type.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a close-up viewof typical inflorescences of ‘Yellow Yobillings’ grown as a disbud-type.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet comprises a close-upview of typical inflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum (left) and‘Yellow Blush’ (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the winter inSalinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditionswhich approximate those generally used in commercial pottedChrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, thefollowing conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.;night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 4,000 to 6,000foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cmcontainers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched onceabout 14 days later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/longnight treatments were started. Plants used for this description weregrown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar YellowYobillings.

Commercial classification: Daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietaryChrysanthemum×morifolium induced mutation, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum that can be grownas a disbud or as a spray-type. Stems mostly upright and somewhatoutwardly spreading; uniform crown. Freely branching, about threelateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching);dense and full plants. Vigorous.

Plant height.—About 22.5 cm.

Plant width.—About 32 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 17 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internodelength: About 1.25 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color:144A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Quantity of leaves perlateral stem: About 12. Length: About 8.3 cm. Width: About 6.5 cm. Apex:Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Attenuate to truncate. Margin: Palmatelylobed, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent. Texture: Upper and lowersurfaces with very fine pubescence; veins prominent on lower surface.Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A. Young andfully expanded foliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation, upper surface:147A to 147B. Venation, lower surface: 147B. Petiole length: About 2.3cm. Petiole diameter: About 4 mm. Petiole color: 147A to 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk andray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Not fragrant. Can begrown as a disbud or as a spray-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about 48 to 53 days later when grown during the winter.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for a least three weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Produced as a disbud-type, all the lateralinflorescences are removed leaving only the terminal inflorescence.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 7.5 mm. Color:Close to 143A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 11.3 cm. Depth (height): About 2.9cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.5 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 9 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then about 70° from vertical. Aspect: Mostly flat and slightly arched.Length: About 5.5 cm. Width: About 1.3 cm. Corolla tube length: About6.5 mm. Apex: Acute or emarginate. Base: Attenuate; relatively shortcorolla tube. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Numberof ray florets per inflorescence: About 39 arranged in two or threerows. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to 9A.When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 9C.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 7.5 mm. Width:Apex: About 3 mm. Base: About 1.5 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 185. Color: Immature: Close to 144A. Mature: Apex:9A. Mid-section: Close to 145C. Base: 155D.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: Close to 9A to 12A. Pollen: None observed. Gynoecium: Present onboth ray and disc florets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yellow Yobillings’, as illustrated and described.